Bernheim Original Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey

Bourbon Review #20: Bernheim Original 7 year-old, Small Batch, Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey

Category: “Go-To”

Price: $32

Availability: Everywhere        

Proof: 90, 45%abv

Age: 7 Years-Old

Mashbill: Wheat whiskey (large flavoring grain = 51% winter wheat)

Distillery: Heaven Hill - Bardstown, Kentucky

     Up for my next review, is a truly unique expression among whiskeys! The Bernheim label is the only Kentucky Straight Wheat Whiskey available on the market today. This is different from a wheated bourbon, (Van Winkle, Old Fitzgerald, W.L. Weller, Markers Mark) in that it flips the flavoring grains.

     All bourbons call for corn as the large flavoring grain. This must be a minimum of 51%. By contrast, in the case of rye whiskey, rye becomes the large flavoring grain. Logically, as you would imagine, wheat whiskey uses wheat as the large flavoring grain, at a minimum of 51%. Corn is the small or secondary grain, and malted barley is the finishing grain. So, basically, it is a mirror reversal of a wheated bourbon.

     Now that I’ve explained what a wheat whiskey is, let’s have a look into the history of the Bernheim label.  In 1897, the Bernheim Brothers Company built a distillery in Louisville, KY.  The distillery produces its first mash in April of that year. 

     The company began the production of an elite whiskey brand called "I. W. Harper". During Prohibition [1920–1933], Bernheim Brothers was one of only ten distilleries allowed to continue to make bourbon, as they had received a license to produce it for medicinal purposes. A few years after Prohibition ended, Bernheim sold the business to the Schenley Distilling Corporation (in 1937).

      In 1992, a large distilling plant called the Bernheim Distillery opened in Louisville, by United Distillers (on West Breckinridge Street near Dixie Highway). United owned the I. W. Harper brand at the time the distillery was opened. United later became Diageo, which currently owns the brand but no longer owns the distillery (as of February 2014). The modern Bernheim distillery is not to be confused with the prior Bernheim distillery sites.

     The Bernheim distillery was then purchased by Heaven Hill Distilleries in the late 1990s, and was substantially refurbished to become Heaven Hill's main distilling plant. Heaven Hill purchased the site after a 1996 fire destroyed its prior distilling plant in Bardstown. (This is what people are referring to when they discuss Bernheim pre/post fire)

     The Bernheim Original wheat whiskey brand introduced by Heaven Hill in 2005 was also named after the Bernheim brothers, the distilling company they founded, and the modern distillery that bears their name.

     Last year, the product was re-packaged in a new bottle. The new packaging also includes an age statement of seven years, and a “small batch” description. I miss the copper label and overall look of the old bottle.

     This year (fall of 2014) Heaven Hill Distillery released a 13 year-old, barrel strength version of Bernheim wheat whiskey under the Parker’s Heritage collection. I plan to review this product later in the year. I’m eager to see if the additional age increases the complexity, thus balancing out the sweetness.

      The Van Winkle family has shown the world that wheated bourbons can age more gracefully over a very long time (up to 23 years).  By contrast, more typical rye bourbons have a tendency to pick up too much acidity from the wood when aged this long, thus becoming “over oaked”. 

     My suspicion is that wheat whiskeys can be aged just as long, or even longer than wheated bourbons, with nothing but complexity to gain! I would love to see a wheat whiskey with an age statement of 20-30 years.

     
     Overall: This is a very approachable whiskey. It’s predominantly sweet, soft and mild. Flavor notes include: sweet banana custard, cinnamon-gram cracker crust, buttermilk biscuit, butterscotch, caramel, and buttered wheat toast. The viscosity is medium and the finish is brief, with a trace of mild oak and spearmint.

     This is not my favorite style of whiskey. It’s a little too sweet and soft for my liking. I would recommend this product to folks that are turned off to more aggressive rye/oak forward bourbons. However, I feel like a little more time in the oak could cut through some of the sweetness, and offer a more balanced expression. The Colonel’s score is a 6 out of 10.